On the recordApril 21, 2015
I thank the gentlewoman. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this commonsense measure that will help us more effectively fight prescription drug abuse while also ensuring that Americans are able to get their needed pain medications. Florida has been at the epicenter of the debate concerning combating prescription drug abuse while ensuring legitimate patient access to critical pain medications. Florida was one of the first States to be affected by the proliferation of ``pill mills'' and took strong action to shut them down, under the stellar leadership of our State attorney general. We have seen similar challenges nationally, and DEA has taken action. Unfortunately, Federal agencies have not coordinated their efforts to ensure appropriate access to prescription controlled substances. In Florida and elsewhere, we are seeing legitimate patients who are getting caught up in the efforts to stop prescription drug abuse. My own father was one of those patients: an 80-year-old retired minister prescribed a legitimate medication for chronic pain and yet unable to fill that prescription at his local pharmacy. All of the best intentions in the world by all of the actors but, unfortunately, there were very unintended consequences for a patient who needed care. The issue is largely due to DEA policies and extremely poor coordination between DEA and FDA. The key to this legislation is collaboration and coordination.…
